How Hurricanes goalie Frederik Andersen handled heartbreak: ‘We’re a family’
One can only imagine what the past few days have been like for Frederik Andersen.
There has been both triumph and tragedy for the Carolina Hurricanes goalie. It has undoubtedly been a test both of his hockey skills, and his personal fortitude.
Andersen watched his longtime agent and friend, Claude Lemieux, carry out the torch Monday before Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Final against the Montreal Canadiens in the Bell Centre. Lemieux once played and starred for the Habs, and had the arena rocking before the Canes took a 3-2 overtime victory.
Andersen then notched a shutout in Game 4 on Wednesday at the Bell Centre, a 4-0 win that gave the Canes a commanding 3-1 lead in the series. It was Andersen’s 11th win in the Stanley Cup playoffs, and his third shutout in what has been a remarkable run for the 36-year-old veteran from Denmark.
And then, Lemieux died.
The reports Thursday were that the four-time Stanley Cup winner had taken his own life. Andersen was told, and the question arose: How would he handle the shock of such a thing?
Andersen had been locked in since the playoffs began, shutting out the Ottawa Senators in the first game of the first round. What now?
How he handled it was by playing Friday in Game 5 at Lenovo Center. When the game began, the big Dane was in net, making 23 saves and helping the Canes take a 6-1 win over the Canadiens that clinched the series and thrust Carolina into the Stanley Cup Final against the Vegas Golden Knights.
Before the game, chants of “Fred-die! Fred-die!” broke out. More came during the game and again when he was named the game’s first star.
“He was amazing,” Canes coach Rod Brind’Amour said. “We knew, obviously, that this was going to be tough for him with the nature of what happened. To be honest, we weren’t sure if he was going to be able to play. You just don’t know how that was going to shake out.
“But obviously he shook it off and battled through it. And you saw the emotion after the game. It’s a tough time for him, but he made us all proud, for sure.”
Andersen was interviewed by TNT’s Jackie Redmond on the ice after the game as the Prince of Wales Trophy — given to the Eastern Conference champion — was carried out and put on display.
“It’s surreal,” Andersen said. “It’s been a difficult couple of days but the way we showed up today … has been incredible. I can’t say enough good things about this team and the way they supported me.”
Told by Redmond that Jordan Staal had said the team wanted to win the game for him, Andersen was emotional.
“We’re a family. I can’t really say much more,” he said.
Asked what he believed Lemieux’s advice would be at this point, with the Stanley Cup Final ahead, four wins away.
“Just go get it,” Andersen said.
Andersen received hugs all around from teammates, coaches, staff and owner Tom Dundon after the game. As much as anyone, it was Andersen playing at his best that helped carry the Hurricanes through three rounds as he was a notch better than the opposing goalies: Ottawa’s Linus Ullmark, Philadelphia’s Dan Vladar and then Jakub Dobes of Montreal.
“Freddie was unbelievable,” Canes captain Jordan Staal said. “We were playing for him as best we could. It’s been a tough couple of days for him, and we all felt the hurt.
And it was more than about the goaltending numbers, as good as they have been in the run.
“It’s his calming presence back there and how well he plays the puck,” Canes center Logan Stankoven said. “It’s nice when you have a guy like that to just settle things down. He just seems to make that big save when we need him to. He’s been great up to this point, and I’m just really happy for a guy like that.”
Canes forward Jordan Martinook sits close to Andersen in the Canes’ locker room and once had Brendan Lemieux, Claude’s son, as a Canes teammate.
“I can’t say enough about the goalie he is, and I’ve been with him four years, and he’s a great friend,” Martinook said of Andersen. “For him to have that news yesterday and obviously know this was an important game and then for him to play the way he did … I don’t ever want anybody to go through that.
‘It’s hard for a lot of people. I keep thinking about their family and it’s horrible. But for Freddie to play the way he did, I love that guy, and I’m proud of him.”
